Camping World Bowl – Syracuse vs West Virginia
The Game
Camping World Bowl time, yo.
West Virginia comes into this game on a bit of downer coming SO CLOSE to a Big 12 Championship Game berth. They finished up with a record of 8-3 but lost their final two conference showdowns (Oklahoma St, Oklahoma). The Orange had a fine season and just might be the 2nd best team in the ACC as we go to press. Syracuse boasts a record of 9-3 and have only lost to Clemson (playoff team), Notre Dame (umm….playoff team) and Pitt (ACC Coastal Division winner).
The Details
Syracuse -2 West Virginia (66)
MEGALOCKS LINE – Syracuse -3
“Vegas” Implied Projected Score: Syracuse 34 West Virginia 32
The Match-Up:
Syracuse offense vs West Virginia defense
This should be fun.
We get one more chance to watch 13th year senior QB Eric Dungey take the field and do what he does best; dominate. Dungey battled injury issues (again) but still managed to post a 17-7 TD to INT mark to go along with 15 (!) rushing TDs. The Orange have the #30 rushing offense and #36 passing offense (#16 total offense) and play at a really fast tempo. The Mountaineers D is used to that fast pace via playing in the Big 12 but have not fared that well (#74 total defense). Syracuse should be able to have success on the ground with RB Moe Neal (827, 5.6, 5 TD) and the running ability of Dungey. The WR group? It’s one of the deepest in college football with four (!) players logging 500+ receiving yards. The Mountaineers were ranked near the bottom of the Big 12 in sacks (23) but DID manage to force a lot of turnovers (22 – #2 Big 12). West Virginia will need to bag some turnovers and play well on 3rd downs (#36 FBS) in order to stay in this game.
West Virginia offense vs Syracuse defense
RUH ROH.
West Virginia will have to do without star QB Will Grier and will rely in the unknown combo of Jack Allison and Trey Lowe to GIT ER DONE. It’s hard to know how either of those two guys will do in bowl action but HC Dana Holgorsen has let it be known that both QBs will have some playing time. It won’t help to be without starting LT Yodny Caluste (!) and #1 WR Gary Jennings for this contest but at least they still have some offensive talent on hand at RB and WR. Running backs Kennedy McKoy and Martell Pettaway have combined for almost 1,300 yards and 13 TDs and they still have a pair of talented WRs to call upon in David Sills 15 TD (!) and Marcus Simms. Syracuse has given up more yards than you would like to see (#89 total defense) but force a lot of turnovers (30) (!) (#4 FBS) and are REALLY good on 3rd downs (#6 FBS). The DL took a hit when it was announced that Alton Robinson (10 sacks) and McKinley Williams would miss the game. What does that mean? Probably a bit less PENETRATION but probably a typically good performance on 3rd downs given the presence of inexperienced QBs.
Trends, Intangibles and More!
WV HC Dana Holgorsen is 2-4 in bowl games and has not led the Mountaineers to a postseason win since the 2015 Cactus Bowl (W 43-42 over Arizona St)….The Orange boast Lou Groza award-winning PK Andre Szmyt who has nailed 28/32 FG attempts (!) including 3/3 from 50+ yards.
Summary
This feels like a game well set-up for the Orange. West Virginia is missing some BIG GUNS and we find it hard to believe that they can be truly motivated for this tilt. The big unknown is the quality of QB play we will witness from West Virginia. The Orange DL is missing some key pieces but they have been good enough this season on D and should be able to use their usual recipe (turnovers, 3rd down success). You don’t win nine games be accident. It’s going to help Syracuse having a healthy Dungey at QB (at least for the first play of the game) and they should be able to bag their first 10-win season in a lonnnnng time.
Conclusion
Official play: None yet.
Side: Lean to Syracuse.
Total: No leanage to report.
As always:
‘Lean’ implies we are comfortable suggesting ‘small potatoes’ on the game. Nothing more. < but always stay tuned for updates >
‘Slight lean’ implies we are almost certain to avoid the game and/or total from a betting standpoint even for ‘small potatoes’. We give an opinion for those who need to get down and want advice.